A US woman who shot and killed her husband and two adult children before taking her own life is thought to have committed the shocking crime as a result of being ostracised from the religion she was raised in.

A federal judge sentenced a former Arkansas judge Wednesday to five years in prison — a stiffer punishment than prosecutors recommended — after he admitted giving young male defendants lighter sentences in return for personal benefits that included sexual favours.

Every time I tell a mate I’m doing a story on cryptocurrency, they invariably ask me the same two questions: should they invest their own hard-earned money, and which cryptocurrency will get them a Lamborghini/yacht/island quickest?

In a 60 Minutes online exclusive, reporter Liz Hayes quizzed Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on his relationship with the unpredictable Twitter aficionado and US president Donald Trump ahead of their meeting at the White House Friday.

Former Miss USA contestant charged with Sydney assault

A former beauty queen and Miss USA competitor has faced a Sydney court for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend.

Brittany Nicole (Nikki) Poteet made a short appearance in the Downing Centre local court yesterday charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Police allege the 29-year-old assaulted Wade McKenzie at Neutral Bay, on Sydney's north shore, on the evening of December 16.

McKenzie has taken out an apprehended violence order (AVO) against Poteet, who must enter a plea before her next court appearance.

The glamorous blonde, originally from Richmond, Virginia, moved to Sydney in 2014, news.com.au reports. She works as a HR consultant and an events co-ordinator.

Poteet clinched the Miss Virginia state crown and went on to compete for the title of Miss USA at the age of 24 in 2011, but failed to go past the preliminary round of the beauty pageant, owned at the time by US president elect Donald Trump.

In 2011 she made headlines in the US after her roommate accused her of making gay slurs and smashing furniture in their rented home. Poteet denied his claims.

A year later she was crowned Miss United States - an independent contest for unmarried women aged 20 to 29 - but gave up the title after she posted a social media photo that showed her with the caption "Miss Alcoholic USA".

In 2013, she was accused of punching an ex lover and snaring him with a fish hook. Assault and battery charges against her were dropped a few months later.